Arkham Underworld
by NinTevens
Summary: Takes place one year after Arkham City. Bruce, after putting Arkham behind him, visits the newly rebuilt Asylum. However, when things go crazy, he might just have to get help from a villain to save the world from Hell's Arrival. Features an OC.
1. A Familiar Site

Bruce decided to finally visit Arkham. He had been funding a new project to restore Arkham Asylum and move the inmates back into Arkham. Certain inmates, such as Selina and Victor, stayed behind in the city. It had been one year since the death of Joker. Bruce had finally recovered, but was still having an occasional drop in mood whenever someone mentioned Talia or Joker.

Walking towards the front of the newly rebuilt Asylum, Bruce greeted Sharp there, who had returned to warding the Asylum.

"Ah, Bruce Wayne, you're the one who funded the Arkham Revival project, am I not correct?" Sharp asked, staring at him.

"Yes, more or less. I did it for the people of Gotham." He responded, with a cool air about him.

"well, let me show you what's been done to the place." Warden Sharp said, gesturing to the front of the building.

**Bruce's POV**

As we walked through the Asylum, I couldn't help but remember the events of that night. I remember grappling from Gargoyle to Gargoyle in this room, delivering kicks to the Jaw and such. I remember finding Frank's body on the area in front of us. After walking through the place for a while, I saw two familiar faces. It was Cash escorting Harley to her cell. She looked like she had tried to put up a fight.

Sharp then gestured to me, "You're about to see a familiar face. And you won't like it. Please, just stay calm. I will explain later about why he is here."

I gave him a confused look. What could Sharp be hiding?

As we walked towards a new room, I saw a doctor giving a patient his medication. And when he turned around, I recognized him. The last time I saw him, Killer Croc was pulling him into the sewer. I stared at Crane, going through all the possible schemes he could be up to here.

His appearance had changed drastically. He now had a Lazy eye, large claw marks across his face, and even sported a cast on his left arm.

Sharp answered my question before I could even ask. "Dr. Crane's reformed after his little tumble with Croc in the sewers. He's reformed after learning that he could have fear as well. We've already searched his office several times over for anything relating to "Scarecrow" but the best we could find was an empty syringe and his old mask."

Crane then turned towards me. "Bruce, how are you? It's great to see you again." He said, reminding me of all the trouble he caused me a while back.

I could still remember that faithful day…

_**FLASHBACK**_

_I walked through the halls, hoping to find someone sane. Oracle was going crazy on me, and Jim's dead. As I walked nearer to the morgue, my vision felt blurred. When I entered, I could hear strange whispering. I waited for a moment, to try to find out what they were saying. I then decided to leave the room. When I entered what I thought was the halls, I was almost surprised to see the Morgue again. This time, the whispers were louder, the drawers on the walls were violently shaking, and there were three body bags on the three tables. I went to the nearest one, and decided to open it…_

_Oh. How much I regretted that…._

_**END OF FLASHBACK**_

"_Bruce…_Bruce? Are you okay?" I could hear Crane's voice saying. I snapped out of it instantly.

Crane then wished me best of luck in any "Future Endeavors" I might partake, and left for his office. I then decided to leave. It would be a big day for me tomorrow. I have to help the GCPD round up some of the rogue Criminals wandering Arkham City.

**Third Person POV**

As Bruce walked out, Crane sat down with a rather new patient. Crane pulled out a chair and let the boy sit down. The boy wore a blue, long sleeve shirt and a pair of Black Jeans. His hair was Black, and was all over the place. Crane then noticed that the patients lips were in a straight line, and that he had Blue Eyes that seemed to look into the soul. His skin was very pale, and he was tall and looked as though he had never been fed properly.

**Crane's POV**

I turned on the recording camera. I had already done this a few times before.

"Patient interview number Six. Patient name is Joe Miller, suffering from… a serious case of Synesthesia, And Post Traumatic Stress disorder. The time is 6:15 PM, April 13, 2015" I said, documenting everything. I had already done Harley's tapes, so I knew how these were meant to go.

"Now tell me Joe, what do you see right now?" I asked the boy.

He suddenly looked panicked, as though he realized he existed. "They're everywhere! They're going to get me!" He yelled, screaming in fear. I put my hand on his shoulder to try and calm him down. If any knew fear, it was me. "Who is going to get you?" I asked.

"The Demons! They know I'm here! They'll kill us all!" He yelled, now hyper-ventilating. I knew it would not get me anywhere if I kept on about what he was seeing. I decided to ask him another question.

"Joe, let's go to a different question. Did anything terrible happen while you were growing up?" I asked.

He stopped panicking and looked me in the eyes. "My…My parents were killed…by demons." He said. Was he not going to give this demon thing up?

"It might not have been demons. Tell me, what did they look like?" I asked, now fully interested in what

He, while still looking me in the eyes, began to describe them to me.

"They had white bodies, completely white. Their arms and legs were twice as tall as yours are. They had... Elongated necks and they had Red teeth sprouting out of a Rock-like jaw. Their eyes were completely black. I was forced to watch as they tore my parents to shreds and devoured the remains. One then tapped my chest, right above my heart, and said the ritual had completed."

I looked in awe. Surely this boy hadn't really faced demons, had he? A knock on the door reminded me that I was on limited time. I then said one last thing to Joe. "Don't worry about it. Just try to stay calm. I'll help you through this."

* * *

**Yes, I am reintroducing Scarecrow as reformed, but that's beside the point.**

**Please Rate and Review.**


	2. The Meeting

**2 Days after Prologue**

**Bruce's POV**

I was heading to the Asylum again. I had just received a message from Crane, asking to meet him in his office. I didn't know where the office was, but I could easily figure out that it would most likely be Dr. Young's old office. After all, she was the only important doctor who died on that fateful day, and he would be interested in any villain artifacts she kept in the room.

As soon as Alfred pulled up in front of the Asylum, I could see the construction crew had finally finished up. Arkham looked brand new, with all the vines and plants gone. Speaking of plants, Ivy was brought in yesterday. I would need to visit her to find out what she was up to in Arkham City, as her plants had spread into Amusement Mile. But, Crane's meeting was my top priority as of that moment.

I headed towards the mansion, seeing the Sharp statue was now replaced by a monument to those who had died during the rules of Joker and Strange. I stopped to see several names, among them Penny Young and Talia Al' Ghul. I knelt in front of the monument, remembering the events of that night.

**FLASHBACK**

_I walked into the theatre. I could hear Joker, telling me to hurry up and take my seat. I felt worry for the first time since I had last been in here. However, I wasn't surprised when Talia grabbed the sword and prepared to stab Joker with it. "Talia, No!" I could hear my voice yell. But, it was too late. I watched as the sword went through Joker's body, and he fell to the floor in front of the stage. I looked to her, and asked: Why? Even though her response made sense, I could not make sense of it. How could Joker die so easily? I rethought it all. Two Cards, the Mirror, and-_

"_TALIA, LOOK OUT!" I yelled, way too late. As Talia died in my arms, I felt a sadness growing within me. And a feeling of anger. I looked up to see Joker, sick as a dog, holding the Magnum that killed my only love. "It was never you." I said, angered. I would make him pay._

**END FLASHBACK**

I got up, remembering exactly what I came here for. I headed into the mansion, and walked towards Young's office, or Crane's, now. As I walked towards the office, I felt a sort of nostalgia. I prepared to pull out the Grapnel Gun so I could walk on the vents, when I remembered I wasn't in the bat-suit, nor did I bring my gadgets with me. I entered the office to see that Crane was typing on a laptop. When he noticed me, he closed it and stood up." Ah, Bruce, you received my message. Well, I need to talk to you about Arkham City."

"I already saw the boat Crane. I also saw your fear toxin and your mask." I said. Both me and Crane knew our Secret Identities, and we both knew that there were no Cameras or Listening Devices in the room.

"Now, you see, that's the thing: I HAVEN'T been active in Arkham City. When I pulled myself from the ocean near Amusement mile, I tore off my mask and threw it. I then walked off to recover at the Church. I blacked out, and woke up in a hospital bed in Gotham. They told me they had found me stranded on the beach, five miles away from Arkham. What I need to know is who took the Toxin and ordered the boat. Can you do that for me?" He said, looking at a map of Arkham City.

I decided to look into it. I then reassured Crane I would stop whoever was using his toxins. I decided I would go to Ivy's Cell next.

**Crane's POV**

As I waved Bruce off, I couldn't help but feel strange. He used to be my Arch Enemy, yet here we were discussing my stolen fear toxin. I don't know why, but I had the feeling Batman had softened up. What had happened in there?

While I was pondering this, Joe walked into the room accompanied by Cash. Cash decided to stand outside the door while I had a conversation with Joe, now sporting an inmate uniform.

I set up the recording, and began the interview.

"Patient Interview number seven. Time is 3:05 PM, April 15th, 2015. Tell me Joe, how do you feel?" I asked, still staring into Joe's unblinking eyes.

"I feel…Okay. It's been a while since I've seen them." He said, trying not to meet my eyes.

"Now I know it may be difficult to say, but can you tell me what you see right now?" I asked, trying not to bring back memories.

"Well…. I see a blood stain on the table. Standing in front of me, right next to you doctor, is a man. He has no face." He said, making me feel very conscious of my left.

"Tell me, what is the man doing?" I asked, trying to keep my eyes on him.

"He's… flipping a coin over and over again. He's waiting for someone. He's not threatening anyone though. Usually If I see him, he's just trying to fit in." He said. Even though the idea of a guy standing near me with no face was weird, I went with it.


	3. An Old Face

**3 Days After Prologue**

**Batman's POV**

I glided through the streets of Arkham City, looking for the old boat. I needed to examine it again; there must have been a clue I missed, even though I hate admitting it. There was something he didn't find; a Signature, perhaps.

I land on a bridge, looking at the now ruined boat. I groan, remembering that Harley's thugs had lit it on fire after the Joker died. I would have to question her remaining thugs to know if she had known anything. I grappled up to the crane, sneaking through Amusement Mile, watching for thugs that seemed more important than the others. I finally found a pair, letting off a smirk as I throw a batarang, spooking them.

**Thugs' General POV**

One of the thugs suddenly jumps, seeing the batarang on the ground. He crouches down grabbing it, saying," What the..." Suddenly, he hears the sound of a kick, causing him to look away from the device. He looks over, his friend on the ground. He grimaces, yelling," I'll find who did this!" He checks around, pulling out a gun. He stands at the doorway, guarding it. He hears a gruff voice behind him," So, bad night?" The thug sighs," Yeah, tell me about it." He is suddenly pushed into a wall, looking up to see Batman.

The thug freaks out, saying," Ba-Batman! What do you want with me?!" Batman just holds him there by the neck, saying," Tell me everything I want to know about that boat." The thug awkwardly stares at him for a second, saying," Wh-What? Boat?" Batman gains an even deadlier look in his eyes," Tell me, before I snap your neck." The thug begins panicking, "Okay! Okay! Harley had us store the contents before we blew it up. I-I don't know anythign about the location! P-Pl-Please don't kill me!" Batman gives off a small smirk," I won't." He suddenly bashes the thug into the wall, knocking him unconscious.

**Batman's POV**

I smirked, now aware that the contents of the boat had survived, climbed to the top of the steel mill. I scanned the area with detective vision, but was surprised to find nothing. "They must have hidden the contents at another location; I'll have to continue my search in another location." I said, trying to think. I talked to myself too much; Robin would have my hide for this. Speaking of Robin...

A communicator like sound goes off in my cowl. I scowl, as I specifically told Robin to handle this on his own. I activate the microphone inside the cowl, saying," Robin, why are you calling me? I thought we agreed you could handle this yourself." Robin's voice comes in," Sorry Bruce, but there is a small problem; He escaped, and he's somewhere in the middle of Arkham City. I would go after him, but I twisted an ankle. Now, maybe we can discuss my reinforced boots-" I quickly cut him off, saying," I'll go after him then. Give Oracle a call, she'll send assistance." I quickly turned off the communicator, annoyed with how he was constantly bugging me about his equipment. Sure, he's just a boy, but good lord could he be demanding.

The target we were talking about wasn't to be taken lightly; he had recently built a warsuit he was using to terrorize Metropolis, and now Gotham. The police would have arrested him a long time ago; but he had political immunity. People left it to the 'Super Heroes" to bring him to justice, although he was always bailed out.

I glided towards the church, which was practically the center of Arkham City. If he truly was here, I should be able to see him from the church. Thankfully, I didn't even need to fly that far to see him; I saw a building explode, which practically told me to look there. I landed on a Gargoyle, watching as a robotic warsuit exited the building, which collapsed behind him. The suit must have been able to detect my heat, as I heard a familiar voice.

" Ah... Hello, Batman."

I glided down in front of his 10 foot tall warsuit, staring him in the eye." Hello... Luthor."


End file.
